Vanessa Paradis Brought Exceptional French Style To The Deauville American Film Festival

This past week, the 46th annual Deauville American Film Festival occurred in France. The event kicked off during the same week as the Venice Film Festival in Italy, and both events saw returns to physical, in-person red carpets. While the Venice festival drew the bigger names – A-list celebrities such as Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton made appearances on its step and repeats – the Deauville festivities saw one particular style star steal the show. That would be French musician, model, and actor Vanessa Paradis, who brought glamorous and understated looks to the affair.

Paradis, who was a jury president for the Deauville festival this year, played up her signature French-girl style for the event, crafting looks that were simultaneously timeless and modern. As an ongoing face for Chanel, Paradis wore multiple looks by the French label for the occasion, all designed by its current creative director, Virginie Viard. For the opening ceremony on September 4, Paradis kicked off her slew of winning looks with a silk, watercolour-style Chanel dress with a feathered trim from its pre-Fall 2020 collection, which opened the festival on a dazzling, energetic note. At a screening for Les Deux Alfred later on 6 September, a film in which she stars, she then stripped things back with a sleek, more menswear-inspired black suit and a high-neckline blouse in white lace.
In Chanel

The best part about Paradis’s red carpet style was that she utilised different silhouettes and vibes rather than relying on one standard look (even though she exclusively wore one brand). The outfits ranged from playful to proper, sexy to modern. She also played with unexpected colours during the festival. At the inauguration of the new Gabrielle Chanel Place on 11 September, for instance, Paradis wore a buttoned-up frock with a tiered skirt in the softest shade of robin-egg blue, before changing into a sheer silk black cape and matching skirt (also Chanel) for dinner later that night. Meanwhile, for the festival’s closing ceremony, Paradis made her final appearance in Chanel sporting a black sheath dress that was worn over long black trousers. It was a fresh take on cocktail attire.